Explore the Coral Reefs

PreS-Gr3—Annie Crawley (aka Ocean Annie) invites viewers to use their imaginations and dive with her to explore the coral reefs. Before we can "dive" into the sea, we have to learn about diving equipment. As a high-definition video of the reefs is shown, Annie identifies some of the interesting creatures encountered, and relates fascinating facts about how these animals co-exist. Among the sea life shown are Humbug Damselfish and clownfish that live in the hard coral, lionfish prowling for prey, anemone, and dangerous blue-ringed octopus. Marine reptiles are also featured, and we see a sea turtle being cleaned, which leads to a discussion of fish "cleaning stations" where one species feeds from another. The program's flow is a bit disjointed because interspersed with the tour of the reef is information about divers' hand signals and the importance of not throwing plastic bags into the sea. From the coral reef, we travel to the eel grass beds to find and learn about the unique characteristics of eelgrass razorfish, a sea cucumber, hairy frogfish, and goatfish. Then it's on to sand flats, where the flamboyant cuttlefish feeds and lays its eggs. Back at the sub, Annie recaps the adventure and challenges viewers to recall some of the creatures they met. Then the "Ocean Song" is featured, accompanied by snippets from the video and footage of students learning to dive in swimming pools. The tour of the ocean and the facts about the animals is fabulous, and youngsters will be fascinated and inspired to learn more about ocean life.—MaryAnn Karre, Horace Mann Elementary School, Binghamton, NY